Munster 23-26 Northampton Saints: Visitors steal Champions Cup win despite Curtis Langdon red card
Northampton become just fifth club side ever to win at home of Munster in European Cup, following Leicester, Ulster, Clermont Auvergne, Toulouse; Saints hooker Curtis Langdon was red carded in the first half for knee-to-head of Thomas Ahern; Sam Graham scored winner with nine to play
By Michael Cantillon at Thomond Park
Last Updated: 21/01/24 7:43am
Munster conspired to suffer defeat from the jaws of victory in the Champions Cup, losing 26-23 to 14-player Northampton Saints at a stunned Thomond Park.
The defeat will still see Munster progress to the last 16, but as one of the lowest seeds, and so likely to face a very difficult knockout clash away from home.
When Saints hooker Curtis Langdon was red carded late in the first half for striking Thomas Ahern in the head with his knee, and the hosts got out to 15-7 at the break, there almost seemed no way Munster would not bank a win.
A second half where the exceptional Fin Smith continued to kick penalties to keep Saints in the contest eventually proved vital, as replacement back-row Sam Graham scored following a rolling maul for the lead with nine minutes remaining.
Alex Mitchell had scored an earlier Northampton try, with Munster replying through Antoine Frisch, Peter O'Mahony and Gavin Coombes scores.
Out-half Jack Crowley, in particular, failed to take advantage of the space Munster had when attacking though - albeit in dreadful conditions which worsened as the game progressed - ending in a costly and sobering defeat.
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Munster - playing the first half with a strong breeze behind them - made a far from ideal start when Crowley's kick off bounced and ran dead to hand Saints a scrum on halfway.
A great first defensive set saw O'Mahony - named Ireland's new captain this week - front and centre to win a turnover, before Munster prop Jeremy Loughman soon forced another turnover as Northampton enjoyed early possession dominance.
Munster full-back Simon Zebo soon kicked out on the full, but again, Saints couldn't take advantage as an Ahern tackle on Courtney Lawes forced another ball loose.
A first meaningful Munster attack saw a Zebo pass intercepted, but Coombes soon forced yet another Saints knock-on on halfway.
Having called to scrum again after initially winning a free-kick, Munster then conceded a scrum penalty against the head, however, and Northampton wouldn't pass up field position this time.
Wonderfully elusive scrum-half Mitchell jinked, dummied and danced his way to the try-line on 19 minutes, with Smith converting for a 7-0 Northampton lead in the first quarter.
Munster roared back via an Alex Nankivell carry and break off a scrum, but he too knocked on in contact after making great ground into the 22.
Past the half-hour, Munster got onto the scoreboard via the boot of Crowley when Loughman jackalled at the breakdown after superb work from O'Mahony and Crowley off the ball to close down space - this after the latter had produced a brilliant tactical kick to touch.
A neck-roll by tighthead Trevor Davison on Nankivell handed Crowley a long-range penalty attempt off the tee soon after, but a miscued strike landed wide.
Munster came again as a scything Calvin Nash line-break put them into the 22, before the wing was tip-tackled by full-back George Furbank, who was sin-binned after a TMO review.
The hosts chose a five-metre tap attack rather than penalty kick for the posts vs 14, and it proved the right call when Frisch dived over for the lead two minutes from the half-time break, having been played in by Crowley.
Crowley converted for 10-7, but after Munster lost the ball at a breakdown following the restart, they then lost a key player when lock Ahern was knocked out by the knee of Langdon, and would play no further part.
On further inspection with the TMO, Langdon - who connected with the head of Ahern twice, with either knee - was found to have recklessly driven his knee into a prone Ahern the second time, and thus dismissed from the field.
With the clock in the red, Munster kicked to touch to attack from rather than end the half, and connected with a verve they seldom had for the proceeding 40 minutes, clicking into gear for O'Mahony to squeeze himself over for a try in the corner after an arcing run by Nash.
Despite being down to 13 from the start of the second half, it was Northampton who scored first through the boot of Smith, when a combination of O'Mahony and Tadhg Beirne were penalised at the breakdown, bringing the visitors within five.
Munster's final attack vs 13 should have seen a third try registered when Frisch took a Crowley cross-field kick on the run, only for the Munster 10 to attempt another kick-pass - caught and marked by Saints' Fraser Dingwall - the next time he had the ball, when passing through the hands was a much better option.
Outstanding Brian Gleeson and John Hodnett carries should have seen Munster score in a passage within moments, but Northampton's last-ditch defence ultimately could take no more, as Coombes picked and wrestled over from close range.
Crowley's conversion into the wind drifted wide, leaving Munster 10 points ahead, but Northampton soon clawed three back, when Smith kicked over once Niall Scannell was penalised for failing to release before a jackal attempt.
A crisp Smith drop-goal on the hour-mark saw Northampton back within four points - a remarkable piece of skill in the conditions, and something of a momentum changer in the contest - only for an improbable Craig Casey breakdown win seeing Crowley strike off the tee to stretch the score to 23-16 - Munster skipper Beirne favouring a kick for points rather than to the corner in search of a fourth try.
Torrential rain soon began, before Northampton forced another scrum penalty against the head just inside their own half and called for the kicking tee, which Smith landed with aplomb.
A crucial penalty won by Lawes at a breakdown in the Munster 22 saw Smith kick into the corner for a big chance with 10 minutes to play, from where replacement back-row Graham unusually sprinted through the middle of a maul to score untouched, just as it seemed as if Munster had stalled the drive.
Smith's conversion put Saints three points up, with Munster failing to carve out any spell of possession or territory in the limited time that remained.
